Pumps often need a separate drive motor. Arrangements for mounting a pump and a motor in spaced relation to each other, so the motor can drive the pump, are well known. Often the pump and motor are mounted to separate support frames or to a common support frame.
One general type of pump and motor arrangement provides for the drive shaft of a motor to be interconnected with the drive shaft of a pump, where the drive shafts of both are arranged with their axes of rotation positioned in spaced parallel relation to each other, with the ends of the shafts pointed in the same axial direction. One pulley is mounted on the end of the motor drive shaft and another pulley is mounted on the end of the pump shaft. Rotation of the drive shaft of the motor is transmitted by interconnection of the two pulleys such as by a belt or chain.
To permit adjustment or replacement of the belt or chain, it is usually necessary to be able to adjust the spacing between the two shafts. In known adjustment mechanisms, this adjustment and/or replacement is facilitated by allowing at least one of the pump and motor to be movable relative to the other, so that the pulleys can be moved toward or apart from each other. Of course the tension in the belt, can also be controlled by the spacing apart of the shafts and their associated pulleys. A drawback of this arrangement is that such a mechanism, which allows for the adjustment may, during operation of the motor and pump, result in the mis-alignment of the shafts, due to slippage within the adjustment mechanism. This mis-alignment of the shafts can occur both as one or both of the pump and motor rotate relative to their original aligned positions. Aside from rotation, it can also occur if the motor and/or pump have translation movement in other than the direction of the plane passing through the intersection of the axes of both shafts. This translation movement may include one of the motor and pump moving axially relative to the other.
It will be appreciated that in particular, a misalignment can result from the tension in the interconnecting belt or chain as the pulleys and shafts are pulled towards each other but not in such a manner that the axes of the shafts of the motor and pump remain parallel to each other, or remain in the plane passing through the intersection of the axes of both shafts in their desired positions.
Pump and motor arrangements are used in vehicle wash systems, such as for example car wash systems. These pump and motor arrangements can be supplied as part of a pump station, which is used to pump a liquid such as water, soap, and other vehicle treatment liquids into a suitable location in the vehicle wash system. Often vehicle wash systems will have several similar pump stations. In known pump stations for car wash systems, the pump and motor are positioned in side-by-side relation. In addition to the drawbacks mentioned above, they also have a relatively large footprint. In the business premises where vehicle wash systems are located, space is often limited. Therefore, providing a relatively small footprint for each pump station is desirable.
Accordingly, an improved pump and motor arrangement is desirable.